From Krystal Csuk:
"It would mean the world to me if you would post the article on my coach who passed away from lung cancer this month
exactly two years ago, TJ Ferro, I want to spread the word
about him and being influential and making a difference in racquetball. He was a father to me and my heart melts in the loss of
him."
A Final Dialogue with TJ Ferro
December 14, 2009; 2:00 p.m.
by Cheryl Kirk
TJ
was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in April 2009. He passed away on December 20, 2009. His final year was one involving
chemotherapy treatments; doctor appointments; attendance at Junior Nationals in
June; playing competitively (for the last time) at the NMRA event in July with
partner Jim Elliott; a Night of Appreciation at Glass Court the following week;
trips to visit family in Florida and the Northeast U.S. in August and
September; a hospital stay over Thanksgiving; and the joy of showing his
grandkids Will and Ellie how to hit the ball on December 13th. Just two days before TJ took a decided turn
for the worse, Tom Curran (friend, USAR Board member and NMRA President) and I
had the joy of spending a pleasant and upbeat afternoon with him to hear his
thoughts on racquetball and what the sport has meant in his life. TJ’s partner Marty went on some errands with
Shadow the dog, and we sat together to reflect…
How did you
get interested in racquetball?
I
was working for a health club, the Coliseum in Coral Gables, and it had 24
courts. I got to see Hogan, Yellen and
all those guys play. I would go to hit
once in awhile, maybe every 2-3 weeks.
That was around, maybe 1984.
I
began playing competitively in 1994 or so.
I went to a tournament. I
attended a camp featuring Ruben Gonzalez, Jack Newman, Lynn Adams, Andy
Roberts, actually I went to three of their camps. Jack Newman asked me to help out at one of
his camps – America’s Most Wanted.
What was your
most memorable match?
The
first time I ever beat Greg Hasty in the 45+ State Singles in Evergreen Park.
He had beaten me 6, 7 times in a row and then I beat him the next 5 times. Haven’t really played him since the 90’s. He’s older than me, so he jumps age
groups. That’s where my game shot up, he
was the only guy I couldn’t beat.
What was your
memorable moment during a match or tournament?
Having
my granddaughter see her first racquetball match and I won. She was about three. We made an Ektelon t-shirt for her.
Was there one
event that you played in that you still remember as the ‘best ever’? What made it so special to you? The
first NMRA tournament I played in. It was in Canton, OH. The most amazing tournament
I’ve ever been to. (I loved the)
sportsmanship, from then on, I was sold on the NMRA. People would ask, “Are you going to
Nationals?” I’d say, “No, I’m doing the senior tour!” I wanted to get to Huntsman Games in St.
George, UT and the World Seniors in Albuquerque, but I never could because of
work.
What do you
think makes our sport great and what makes it a challenge?
For
me, getting more and more involved in the sport and teaching players the right
way to play the game. Great, to me, is
the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve kept over the years. It’s the competitiveness of it all. And personally having 3 or 4 people I trained
ending up, or will end up, on the pro tour.
Were there any
life lessons that you feel you gained directly from playing racquetball?
There’s
a lot to do with the sport. It’s really
an individual sport, but in many ways it’s not.
I go on the court to be competitive, but win or lose is not the big
thing. If you’re doing the right things,
you’re gonna win. (The most important
thing is) to be a good sportsman on the court.
Those are the things that made me a better player. You watch people who are competitive but who
are not good sportsmen. You see it or
you hear about it. It doesn’t work…you
know who they are. Each one of us, Tom, you
help me, I help Cheryl because then we’re all being good sportsmen like it’s
supposed to be. Ninety percent of our tournaments are based in sportsmanship,
like the NMRA events. It’s people who
call a carry (on themselves), who play rallies over. You get a bad call, you get a bad call.
One
time I heard that Gary Mazaroff would announce at the player’s meeting at the
World Seniors event: “If you have a
problem, play it over. If you still have
a problem, play it over. If you still
can’t accept it, go on home because you
don’t belong here.” If all tournaments
were like the NMRA and other non-reffed events, we’d be better off. I told Jim Elliott that it was interesting
to watch a couple of NMRA players with a ref (at a non-NMRA event awhile
back). They did not play with the same
sportsmanship as they would at an NMRA event.
Having refs doesn’t necessarily mean a fairer game.
What would you
change about our sport to make it better? Well, we’ve already talked
about referees. Also, (people being) a
lot more aware of the rules and how to interpret them.
We’ve
talked about women’s racquetball, but never have done anything (significant) to
promote girls in racquetball.
That could be an easy target.
Juniors in general, 80% are male. What if the NMRA would pay entry fees
and help with the expenses for any first-time female Junior Nationals
attendees, to get girls to play tournaments?
Especially junior championships.
The other thing is, we might say the first ten new annual junior girl
members of USAR will be paid for by the NMRA.
Up to maybe $500 per year for first-year memberships. Get women pros and leaders to work with young
girls.
Getting
the pros more involved in being what they’re supposed to be, not just about
money. Pros should at least get out
there and teach their expertise and do demos.
Instead of using them, we tend to use the amateurs. Separate companies (manufacturers) need to
come in there and get their pros to do clinics and demos.
At this point,
Marty returned and Shadow the black lab took a few laps around the living room…
What was your
proudest moment in racquetball?
The
Summerfest Night of Appreciation. I can’t even put into words, it was the most
amazing thing that’s happened in my life.
My legs were shaking that night.
Just to have my family and friends who care for me come there to support
me. Totally phenomenal.
Marty added,
“His family got to know how truly successful and loved TJ is in the racquetball
world. The racquetball family perhaps
never realized TJ had a family, sons, grandchildren.”
Cheryl said,
“It’s not easy to lose you, TJ. It’s
not easy for any of us. But having that
time with you in July meant so much, not just to you, but to all of us. It created memories we’ll have with us
forever.”
Tom added,
“What I took away from that night is how wonderful that TJ has lived a life
worthy of such celebration. The way you
live forever is in the memories of others -- you never go away. It made me proud of the sport. I was so proud to be a part of that group on that July evening.
What advice
would you like to give to the next generation of racquetball players?
Keep
it up – I hope that maybe all the racquetball players will try to get out there
and get more people involved in the sport.
I would like to see our sport grow.
If I were still going to be here, I would definitely try to make that
happen. Promote the game on any level.
Krystal
is like my daughter. We’ve been through a lot together. She’s done great, I’m so proud of her. I couldn’t be more proud of her and Trevor
for what they have accomplished in education and racquetball.
Incredible
kids. Just having 34 kids with JTI, that
in itself. Every one of them was
dedicated 2-3 times a week. They pushed
me, I didn’t push them.
For
many, life took over, something had to give.
Now a lot of them are coming back.
What was cool about that night in July, they said they were beginning to
play again. They realized that
racquetball was not just a game, they could take more from it. Put in to get out. It helped in their education. None of them could be in JTI unless they had
at least a C+ average. Most were B+ and
better. Education first, racquetball
second.
What do you
want to say to all of the people you have come to know and love through
racquetball?
If
it wasn’t for all of them, I wouldn’t still be in the game. Teaching racquetball to kids has helped my
own game because it reinforces the basics I was trying to give them. It made me go over and over the basics. At this point in my life, I want to thank
everyone for their thoughts and prayers throughout this last year with what I’m
going through. I’d like to name you all
by name, the Leon Berrymans and so many others, you’ve been with me since the
early days. Geoff Peters, the Milazzos…
Anything else
would you like to say to your friends and family?
My
grandkids are my pride and joy. Anything
in my life I could have had, they are my pride and joy.
Ellie,
7, has natural court sense. Her hand/eye
coordination is there, she had that to start.
She moved to the place where the ball was going.
Maybe
we don’t fully understand and appreciate what we have in our racquetball
family. We all have our separate lives
but it’s so funny, we come together at a tournament and we’re all
together. It’s like Thanksgiving dinner
all over again.
“Racquetball
people are the best,” said Marty.
TJ’s eyes grew
heavy and it was time for a nap. One
last question:
TJ, how would
you want to be remembered by our sport? As a competitor, a good sportsman, a dedicated
teacher and a good friend.
Our good friend, you achieved that and so much more. We love you and wish you Godspeed.
Post script: To demonstrate his love for Ektelon, TJ had
proudly sported for years an Ektelon flame tattoo on the outside of each
calf. When he was diagnosed with cancer
last spring, he expressed his desire to be buried in his Ektelon clothing and
cap (worn backwards, of course). That did indeed take place. As TJ told Ektelon VP Scott Winters on a
phone call just a few days before he passed, “I can’t wait to get to heaven and
start a junior program up there!”
No doubt it’s in full swing.
This story was granted by the ISRA giving the WPRO permission to use this article from their Winter 2010 Newsletter. Courtesy of the Illinois State Racquetball Association.
Photo: Cheryl Kirk
